Self-starting apparatus for automobiles.



P. H. ROSENBERG.

SELF STARTING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. I915.

1 174, 1 83. Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

M Peler HRosenber-g,

PETER H. ROSENBERG, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-STARTiNG APPARATUS son AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

Application filed March 24, 1915. Serial No. 16,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, PETER H. ROSEN ERG, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Revere, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain larly in mind starting mechanism that is reasonably cheap and simple in its construction as well as reliable and effective in its operation; said automatic mechanism being designed to take the place of the so called cranking devices now commonly used.

My invention is illustrated in and by the annexed drawings, Figure 1 being mainly a diagrammatic representation of the frame and engine of an automobile, showing also the relation of my present improved starting mechanism to the engine and. its shaft.

- Fig.2 is a relatively enlarged side view,

partly in section, of said starting mechanism, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the starting mechanism, looking toward the right hand end of the device of Fig. 2; the

casing being partly broken away to disclose.

a spring, which serves as an important element of my said starter. Fig. 4 is a detail View, partly in section, of the clutch members 31 -32 and shaft 27.

Briefly described, my improvement comprisesa spring havingsuflicient power, when under tension, to give two or three rotations to the engine shaft; connections between "said spring and the engine shaft whereby the spring will be placed under tension whenever the engine is in action; means for automatically disconnecting 'the springwinding mechanism when the spring is sufiiciently wound up, and means for starting said spring into action when the engine is dead and-it is desired to start it.

Referring to the annexed drawings, the

numeral 20 indicates a diagrammatic representation, in plan,',,o f the chassis of an automobile, and its engine 21, and shows also the relation to, and connection with, said engine of my newly improved starting mechanism. The said starting mechanism includes, at one end, as here shown, a gear '22 which meshes with andiis driven by a gear 23 on the engine-shaft in order to obtain power for winding up the starter spring which I have incidently referred to above. At the other end ofthe starter mechanism 1s a gear 24 which meshes with a like gear 25 on the front end of the engine shaft, the arrangement of elementary parts being such that, when the said spring is released, and seeks to unwind, it will rotate the gear 2& and said gear 24 will serve to rotate the engine shaft sufficiently to start the engine 1nto action.

I will describe first the means provided for putting the starter spring under tension; referring particularly to the right hand portion of Fig. 2. The numeral 26 denotes a housing adapted to inclose the said spring and winding elements; the housing being,

preferably, hinged as illustrated in Fig. 3 so that the said elements may be readily reached for mspection, oiling, or repairs.

The gear 22 is fixed on theouter end of a, shaft 27 which is mounted to revolve in a bearing 28in the housing 26 and in a loose collarr28f, which latter is supported in a bearing 29 integral with the housing, as here designed. Collar 28' is extended to provide for an annular groove 30,. and its'extended end is formed as a toothed clutch section 31 which isadapte'd to engage with a compan ion clutch section 32 on the end of a short shaft 33 that is journaled in a bearing 34.

tion of a spring 36 coiled around shaft 27 one end of the spring abutting-the collar 28 and the other end abutting the inner face of the end wall of the housing 26.

. The numeral 37 denotes a shaIt that is slidably and revolubly mounted ina bearing 38 at one end and in an elongated collar 39 at theother end portion; the said Collar being, in turn, revolubly mounted .in a bearing 40 in the end wall of housing 26. Secured to shaft 37 within the said housing is a clutch member 41 that is normally in looking engagement with a companion clutch 42 which is secured rigidly to a web or partition 43 formed as here shown, as an integral part of the housing. The other end (left hand end as illustrated in'the drawings) has secured thereto a clutch-member 44 Which is adapted to engage and interlock with a like clutch member 45 secured to a relatively shorter shaft 46 which is slidably mounted in a bearing 47 which may be fixedly secured to the chassis or other rigid part of the automobile. The shorter shaft 46is controlled as to-its endwise movement by a foot lever 48 which is fulcrumed at 49 and terminates in a fork 50 which straddles shaft 46 and lies between collars 5152 formed on said shaft, the construction being such that, when the foot lever 48 is forced downward, the

fork50 will slide shaft 46 so as to cause the clutch member 45 to interlock with clutch member 44, and continued endwise movement of said shaft 46 will force shaft 37 longitudinally sufficiently to disengage the clutch members 41-42 which have already been referred to. When pressure is removed from the foot lever '48, a spring 53 (connecting said foot lever with the bearing 47), will return said foot lever and shaft 46 to their normal positions and will disengage the clutch sections 44-45. Being thus relieved, the shaft 37 is then forced back to its normal position by a spring 54 located between the, clutch member 44 and the gollar 39 this endwise movement 'of shaft 37 resulting also in moving clutch membe'r'41 into engagement with the fixed clutch member 42. a

Secured b0 the collar 39 within the housing 26 is a gear 56 that meshes with, and is driven, under certain conditions, by the gear 35, on the shaft 27. Loosely mounted on shaft 37 is a collar-'57 which has a depending forked extention- 58 which straddles the shaft 27 between annular walls of the groove 30 and so that, when the shaft 37 is slid lengthwise, it will carry the collar 57 with it, thus causing the pendent extension 58 to slide shaft 27 sufficiently to disengage the clutch members 31 and 32, leaving shaft 27 free to revolve and causing the shaft 37 to stop. Coiled upon the collar 39 is a fiat spring 59, one of whose ends is secured to the said collar, the other end being secured to the housing '26 at '59; said spring having secured to one of its coils a laterally projecting plate'60. When the spring 'is being coiled upon collar 39, by the rotation of said collar, the projection 60 gradually moves toward the collar and, at a predetermined point,

it (the projection) engages one end of a bell-crank-lever 61which gis fulcrumed at 62 and whose other end is forked to straddle the collar 57 and liesbetween lugs'63 and 64. When the lever 61 is rocked by the projection 60 during the spring-winding operation, the collar 57 and pendent extension 58 operate to slide shaft 37 so as to disengage the clutch members 31-32 as I have just explained. This leaves the spring 59 under tension and ready-to be utilized to the spring 59 is free to rotate shaft 37 and its gear 24 sufficiently to give the engine shaft two or three turns.

It will be understood that the shaft 27 is driven constantly from the engine shaft and that the other described elements are inactive excepting during the brief time when the spring 59 is being wound up and during the operation of starting the engine.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination with an engine-shaft, means for imparting a starting action thereto, including a second shaft, means for cffecting engagement between said second shaft and said engine-shaft, means for effecting a slidable endwise movement to said second shaft, a third sleeved spring tensioning shaft, the sleeve-of the latter being slidable, means for effectin .engagement between said second and third shafts, the spring tensioned by said third shaft being applied to said sleeve, one end of said spring being fixed, an angle lever arranged for actuation from the other end of said resilient member, said sleeved shaft being moved endwise by one arm of said angle lever, a clutch for the retention of said sleeved shaft against the tension of the spring thereof, and a fourth shaft arranged to be geared to said engine-shaft, and means between said spring tensioning shaft and said fourth shaft arranged to provide for taking the former-out of operation at the end ofthe tensioning operation of said spring.

2. In combination with an engine-shaft, means for imparting a starting action thereto,,, including a second shaft, means for effecting engagement between said second shaft and said engine-shaft, means for effecting a slidable endwise movement to said second shaft, a third shaft, said second and third shafts being equipped with clutch-engaging members, said third shaft being pro I vided with a resiliently actuated slidable sleeve, a spring applied to' said sleeve and plate of said spring,'said sleeved shaft hav-- ing a collar between studs upon which is re- 1 sleeve having a clutch-retaining member and arranged to be geared to the engine-shaft,

, said lever engaged slidable collar on the spring tensioning shaft having a'pendent extension arranged to efieet the unclutching of said fourth shaft at the end of the ten- 10 sioning operation of said spring, said fourth shaft being geared with said spring-tensioning shaft and with said engine-shaft.

PETER H. ROSENBERG.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, DOROTHY A. Gonnns.

Copies of this patentma'y be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

